1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to an apparatus which permits adjustably oriented mounting of an object or a piece of equipment to a mounting surface provided with an array of mounting apertures which allow the equipment to be mounted only in certain positions, and more particularly to an adapter plate assembly suitable for mounting optical or laser devices to optical tables with regularly-spaced mounting holes.
2. History of the Prior Art
Commercially available elements or items of equipment that have to be used with other similar components are often available with mounting portions provided with one or more holes or slots through which screws or bolts are passed to affix the item securely to a mounting surface. Because there is no universal standardization about the manner and disposition of such holes or slots, it is often the case that a given mounting surface also provided with a regular array of holes does not match individual items of equipment exactly. The result often is that such items of equipment may not be mounted securely in the precise location and with the precise orientation that is most advantageous for their use. A relatively compact adapter, capable of allowing such equipment to be mounted securely to a supporting surface, in any position and oriented in any direction, is therefore highly desirable.
Examples of known solutions to the above-identified problem include U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,848, which teaches the use of perforated mounted plates, each provided with a plurality of similar rectangular holes defining cross members between neighboring holes such that the spacing between holes is the smallest value satisfying very specific requirements relating to the center-to-center distances between holes in the devices to be mounted thereon and the diameters of the screws used to do so. U.S. Pat. No. 3,503,377, discloses a mounting frame with pairs of parallel elongated slots to which are attached sliding bars which have elongated slots generally orthogonal to the frame slots. Thus, two sliding bars are moved around until their slots become congruent with holes in the equipment after which the sliding bars are bolted tight to affix the equipment to the mounting surface. U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,365 discloses a dual-access positioning apparatus comprised of a base plate member, two planar adjustment members mounted one atop another, and connecting sections which couple the three planar members together by pairs at oppositely disclosed corner portions, generally disposed at 90.degree. with respect to each other.
The teachings of the three patents discussed above typify the complexities and general limitations of such systems. There is, therefore, a clear need for a very simple adapter assembly that permits any item of equipment mounted thereon to be securely, quickly and precisely oriented, with the freedom for minor adjustments to the orientation of the device to be effected easily.